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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. row — a line
  3. rest — a break
  4. ground — crushed
  5. foot — a measure
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kid — child
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stock — shares
  11. tube — a container
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stock — goods
  15. roll — a list
  16. tube — the underground
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ground — the earth
  20. roll — a cake
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com